Men's Basketball

Orlando Johnson Will Return to UCSB for His Senior Campaign

May 08, 2011

May 8, 2011

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -Orlando Johnson,
who has led UC Santa Barbara to consecutive Big West Conference
Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament berths for the first
time in school history, has removed his name from consideration for
the 2011 NBA Draft, he announced Sunday.

"I want to finish what I started," said Johnson. "I want to get
my degree. When I went to LMU (Loyola Marymount, where he played as
a freshman) my goal was to graduate and I don't want to leave
college without achieving that."

Johnson, a two-time Big West Tournament MVP, two-time First Team
All-Big West choice, and two-time league scoring champion, will
return as one of the top players in the nation. As a junior, he
ranked among the top-15 in scoring nationally at 21.0 points per
game.

"I want to return and take my game to a new level," he said. "I
am excited because we have so much potential. We've gone to two
NCAA Tournaments and I know that we have a chance to be so
successful."

UCSB head coach Bob Williams is
pleased to see his top player return for his senior campaign.

"Obviously I am glad that Orlando decided to return," he said.
"It was his decision and we would have supported him either way. He
is the leader of this team and the opportunity to have him next
year is huge for us. It is very exciting."

Johnson made himself available to the NBA in April. On Saturday,
he attended a workout in New Jersey for several prospects and while
he fared very well, he still opted to return.

"The opportunity to display my abilities was a good one," he
said. "I know what I have to do now and I will work on those
things."

With Johnson's return, the Gauchos will have much of their
arsenal from 2011 back for the 2011-12 season. In addition to the
league's leading scorer, they will also welcome back James Nunnally,
who averaged 16.7 points per game and was an Honorable Mention
All-Big West selection. Nunnally and Jaimé Serna
were both selected to the All-Big West Tournament Team after UCSB
swept three games and stormed to the title.